Deadly Secrets
by MidnightRhymer
Summary: HP/RW Summary inside. All sorts of funky parings. R&R please. M for later content.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any associated characters. This is a work of complete fiction and is not endorsed by J.K. Rowling in any way.

Summary: After the Department of Mysteries incident, everything should have gone back to semi normality, right? It didn't. All kinds of secrets have been floating about for ages, hurting everyone in their path. Now, it is time for revelations, and retribution. HP/RW, HG/GW, RL/SB Former JP/SS, SS/LM. Rated M for safety, character death, and lemons.

Deadly Secrets

Prologue

All kinds of secrets float around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Some are much more deadly than others. If anyone knows this, it's Albus Dumbledore's adopted niece, Angelic Blaire. Angel looks down on the castle from her private, ice cold wing in the East Tower. She has been isolated all her life, but when Ronald Weasley has no one else to turn to, can she trust herself to remain unattached?

Angel looked down at the grounds with an icy smile playing on her lips. Her heart went out to the three she saw by the lake, especially the one in the middle. Her uncle had informed her that it was his destiny to save the wizarding world. He would have to die in order to do so, but such was the way of life. Her once beating heart gave a mighty heave inside her chest. She wanted so badly to aid in the war efforts, but her uncle refused to let her out of the tower. It was kept at an icy fifteen degrees year round. Her body needed the cold to keep the blood lust at bay. Fortunately, the cold kept her heart from heaving too many times in one day. Only when she saw the poor boy on the grounds would it try to beat again. Suddenly, she sees a change in the routine. The red head got up and walked back into the castle. She thinks nothing of it, not knowing how soon her life would change.

"Where did Ron go?" Harry asked.

"Back up to the castle," Hermione replied, not taking her eyes off the lake.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry inquired gently.

"Ron's been... distant lately. I'm really starting to worry about him," Hermione answered.

"I'll go talk to him," Harry offered.

"No! I don't want to push him. He'll come around when he's ready," Hermione exclaimed.

Harry sighed and looked out across the lake. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he snapped his head around to stare up at the East Tower, the forbidden tower. Standing at the top, inside a layer of ice on the window, was a pallid girl with black hair. Her eyes were crimson. Just as he was about to point her out to Hermione, she vanished.

"Did you see that?" Hermione asked quickly.

"The girl?"

"Yes! She looked so lonely up there."

"Why don't we check it out? We haven't got anything better to do," Harry said, and they set out for the entrance.

The duo raced up the stairs to the seventh floor, where they turned toward the east, away from the setting sun, and walked as fast as they could toward the entrance to the tower. They arrived at a very cold spot, and stared up.

"It's padlocked," Harry said dejectedly.

"_Aloha-" _Hermione started, but was silenced by Snape's hand clamping down tightly over her mouth.

"Miss Granger, you would do well to not finish that spell. The upper portion of the Eastern Tower is forbidden to students, you of all people must know this," Snape said, and not in his usual sneering tone either. He almost looked worried.

"But... why?" Harry interrupted.

Snape looked like he was going to start sneering again, but sighed. "There is a... creature locked up in the tower. The Headmaster seems to think that it's safer if we keep her here, and locked away," Snape answered.

Harry could've sworn he hear a muffled sob from behind the door. Before he could open his mouth, however, Snape had grabbed the back of his neck and was forcing him to Gryffindor Tower.

Angel sniffed a little when she heard Snape call her a creature. All she'd done was be born to a strange mother and a dark father. It wasn't her fault that she was a monster in a woman's body. Silently, she walked back to her bedroom. Thirty minutes later, there was a clicking noise as Snape entered with her food.

"Thanks, Snape," she said dejectedly.

"I apologize for calling you a creature earlier, but I couldn't afford to betray the Headmaster. You know how it goes," Snape said softly as he set the tray down on the table.

The unmistakable wiggle of a rabbit caught Angel's eye, and Snape left her to her feast, wondering if Professor Dumbledore would ever be able to see that she was harmless. She had learned control a long time ago, during the week that Dumbledore had left, and the cold had left the tower. The lock had been made of ice at the time, and she had been left to her own devices within the school. There were some isolated incidents of childhood pranks- walking in with a black cape on and scaring the living blowflies out of some first year Hufflepuffs, a small air force of bats being let out inside the school, some "hallucinations" of shadows moving- but no one had gotten injured, and she hadn't fed on any students. Snape considered going to the Headmaster and telling him exactly what was happening with his niece, but thought better of it. After all, he himself hadn't believed in self harming vampires until he met her.


	2. 1 Selfharming Vampires

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any associated characters. This is a work of complete fiction and is not endorsed by J.K. Rowling in any way.

Summary: After the Department of Mysteries incident, everything should have gone back to semi normality, right? It didn't. All kinds of secrets have been floating about for ages, hurting everyone in their path. Now, it is time for revelations, and retribution. HP/RW, HG/GW, RL/SB Former JP/SS, SS/LM. Rated M for safety, character death, and lemons.

Deadly Secrets

Chapter One: Self Harming Vampires

Ron sighed softly at the lake, forcing himself to concentrate on his friends and ignore his abuser's call. When Malfoy threatened his dearest friend, and his one love, he was resigned to defeat. Standing, he headed up to the castle. Malfoy stood in the entrance hall. They walked down to the dungeons, where Ron's latest torture began. Meanwhile, Crabbe and Goyle stood ever faithful watch over the door, not because they liked Malfoy in the least. No, they stood guard for fear of getting the same treatment as Ron. It was they that faithfully carried the red head to his sister every night, where she healed his wounds and nursed him for another day, trying and pleading with him to tell Harry and Hermione. Ron was proud, however, and he would not admit to his friends that he was being tortured and raped almost weekly.

Crabbe and Goyle looked down at the mess Malfoy had left. They would need the expertise of an experienced healer to fix his wounds. Malfoy appeared to have raped him with various objects, ranging from a light bulb to a broken fire whiskey bottle. They had no choice now but to go to Snape.

Running down the hall as fast as they dared, Crabbe and Goyle twisted through passages that they had been running since their first year. Weaving through the obscure part of the dungeon, they found their Head of House in his office, dutifully stirring a potion with Blaise Zabini at his side. They burst into the room and stared their headmaster down, bringing Ron's injuries to their minds so that words would not fail them. He nodded, gave instructions to Blaise, and rushed off to see the damage. When they arrived at the room, there was blood and pieces of glass everywhere, but Ron was gone.

Ron stumbled and slipped his way up the stairs to the tower. He began to look for the portrait hole when he realized that the setting sun was the wrong way. He was in the East Tower, the most forbidden place in all of Hogwarts according to Fred and George. Not even they wanted to touch it, for fear of Dumbledore's wrath. Ron looked down and saw his life blood leaking on the floor and realized that he had no other option. He twisted and turned, looking for some classroom with some teacher in it that could get him to the Hospital Wing. What he found was what appeared to be a dead end. Suddenly, the ginger hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and Ron stared straight up at the trapdoor that Snape had just been through. As the last light faded from the corridor, Ron pointed his wand at the lock and uttered a feeble _Alohamora _beforeswaying slightly and falling to the ground in a heap. He did not stir as a single young vampire swooped down on him from above, and stared at him in pity. She took her wrist in her mouth and bit down. Squatting beside Ron, she tilted his head and prodded his lips open. She tipped the blood down his throat, picked him up, and rose back into the tower.

Snape raced up to the most observant person in the school only to find a bewildering sight before him. Angelic Blaire, rumored to have been fathered by the cruelest vampire since the First, was looking down at the waylaid Gryffindor with an expression of utter pity on her face. Then, she bit down on her wrist, and fed him a little of her own blood, setting him well on his way to healing. Never before had he witnessed a vampire's Healing Blood spell. In truth, it really hadn't been done by too many. Snape went rigid in his boots as Angel picked Ron up from the floor and flapped her wings downward, sending her and her precious package straight back into the tower. The trapdoor closed behind her, but the lock did not replace itself. Snape was not there to notice that minor detail, since he was sprinting down to the Headmaster's Office.

"Albus, I implore you, have a look in your niece's tower. Ron Weasley is currently experiencing a degree of healing none before him have ever witnessed. I promise you she is safe," Snape argued.

Dumbledore, against his better judgment, stood and headed out of his office. Together, he and Snape walked to the deserted corridor of the East Tower. Looking up, Dumbledore noticed that the padlock on the trapdoor was hanging, unlatched, from the small hook. He pulled it out and opened the trapdoor, prompting a silver ladder to be dropped from above. He climbed up carefully, and stood on well cleaned ground. The animal like refuge that he had seen last, when Angel was first locked away, was gone; in its place stood a wonderfully clean and well lived in space. He realized that he had not visited with his niece in years, and she was, after all, the most perceptive to changes in the atmosphere.

"Uncle Albus!" Angel shrieked quietly.

Rushing over to hug him, he noticed that she had her own blood on her hands.

"Whose blood is that?" Snape asked worriedly.

"Some of it's mine. Some of it is that poor little boy's over there," Angel replied as she moved to wash her hands.

"What happened to him?" Dumbledore asked out loud.

"From what I've gathered from his moans, I believe he's been being raped by the Malfoy boy. He keeps moaning out 'Don't tell them. I don't want to see them disappointed in me,'" Angel replied as she dried her hands on a towel and hung it back on the rack.

Reaching under the sink, she grabbed a clean rag and whetted it down with cold water. She returned to her patient and placed the rag on his forehead, cooling him substantially. Then, she went into a near-by room, only to return with several potions and herbs. She pulled out a small cauldron from beneath the table, and picked a dusty old book off the near-by shelf. Opening it and flipping through until she found the right page, Angel set the book on the near-by stand. Snape, who had taught the girl everything he knew, beckoned for the Headmaster to sit down and enjoy the show. Angel consulted her book, grabbing a bottle of red potion and a bottle of clear liquid. She poured the two in together, and then added a pinch of a pinkish herb. She turned the cauldron four times clockwise and fifteen times counter clockwise, plus a final clockwise turn. She then lit a blue fire beneath the pot and threw four white roses and a black one into it. The technique she was using was not part of anything Snape had taught her, and he was intrigued to say the least. Angel waited until the roses had burned down before adding a daisy and a lily to the flames. She smiled softly, before extinguishing the flames and bringing the smoldering ashes to Ron's bedside. Angel then returned to her potion, turning it four times clockwise, and then four times counterclockwise. She poured the potion into a bottle and then moved to sit on Ron's bedside. With a smile and a wave of her hand, Ron awoke to find a beautiful woman before him. She smiled, showing slightly elongated canines, and then handed him a bottle.

"Drink that. One sip a day for a week is all you need. Presuming that I'm still alive by then, I would like you to bring the leftovers back to me," she said in her magical voice.

Ron had known on the train in first year that he had not liked girls. Hermione was pretty then, and had turned out beautiful, but the boy he wanted would never want a second rate ginger like him.

"I wouldn't think such thoughts Mr. Weasley. You never know what fate has in store. Now go on, drink up. I'm going to go warm up the Pepper-Up Potion I've got left over. Don't you move from this spot, I don't care what Uncle Albus or Snape say," she laughed mirthfully.

Standing, she walked over to the counter and lit a blue flame. She held a bottle of swirling potion over it for thirty seconds before moving back to Ron's bedside.

" Did you take your sip of that yet? I promise it doesn't taste as bad as it looks." In truth, the pinkish white swirling liquid didn't look all that bad. Ron uncorked the bottle and smelled it. It smelled a lot like Hermione; like vanilla and strawberry. He took a swig and found that it tasted better than it smelled. Angel smiled at him before handing him the green bottle. Ron drank a little before handing the bottle back. Angel walked back over to what was obviously her healing table and picked up a few herbs of different colors. She chopped them fine, cleaned the cauldron with a flick of her wand, and put them in the pot. She took a coconut from the cupboard beside the sink and stuck a sprayer nozzle into it. She squirted the coconut milk into the cauldron and then offered some to her guests. Dumbledore took it and sprayed it into three glasses, one each for Ron, himself, and Snape. Angel had since then taken out some whipped cream and put it into the cauldron. She stirred nine times clockwise and three counter clockwise.

"This is a salve for the bruises that haven't mended tomorrow, and I assure you that there will be a few around your more private areas. You need to put this on those areas, not eat it. I repeat, don't eat it. When you've made a full recovery, and if I'm still around, I'll send you a hot fudge sundae with the works. But you don't get it unless you don't eat that," Angel replied.

Dumbledore smiled. His niece always had been a charmer, and she was very proficient in healing, defense and offense. The more he turned his idea over in his head, the more it sounded good.

"How would you like to meet one Mr. Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not allowed out of the tower," Angel replied.

"Well, I think you've proved that you have much improved your self control," Dumbledore smiled.

"Ok? When?" Angel beamed.

"_How about now? I want you to start training him in Legilimency, Healing, and Defense, plus maybe some curses here and there. His friends should learn them as well, including Mr. Weasley here," Dumbledore told her._

"_Ok! Just let me tidy up a bit, and Mr. Weasley is staying out of the line of fire. He hasn't had nearly enough time to heal yet!" Angel cried as Snape and Dumbledore started down the trapdoor._

"_My name's Ron," Ron told her as she hustled about, sweeping herbs off the floor and cleaning her cauldron and sink._

"_Alright, Ron, I'm Angel," she replied._

"_You look the part," he replied._

"_I'm old enough to be your grandmother," Angel admonished._

"_I didn't mean it like that, and you can't be that old," Ron replied._

"_How did you mean it, and yes I can, I'm an immortal," Angel shot back._

"_I meant you would make a good angel for someone whose sick or hurt," Ron replied, ignoring the immortal comment._

_Angel smiled softly and went back to getting some rogue dust bunnies out from under the table. Before long, there was a loud knocking as Dumbledore asked if Angel was ready to receive her guests. She could smell the apprehension in the air, and straightened her robes, reminding herself that the two that were about to come up believed her to be exactly what she was; a monster in a woman's body. Ron sat on edge, waiting for Harry's reaction to the beautiful girl before him._

_Harry came up right after Dumbledore, and he stopped in his tracks. He did not look her up and down, as Ron had expected him to do, but stared straight into her crimson eyes. She stared back, holding his gaze for as long as she dared. Finally, Hermione cleared her throat, ending the staring match in a draw. Angel smiled softly at him before reaching down to give Hermione a hand up. When they stood facing each other, Ron found that Hermione was much more intrigued by the girl's obvious beauty than Harry had been. For some reason he couldn't pin, that knowledge pleased him to no end._

_Hermione shifted her gaze to Ron, who was laying in bed holding his bottle of potion and his salve. She raced to his side, asking fervently if he was alright. Angel simply smiled on before showing Snape out._

"_Apparently, I'm supposed to show you the finer points to Legilimency, Healing, and Defense and Offense. I think Mr. Potter here has Legilimency down to a tee, if you don't mind my saying so," Angel said._

"_What makes you say that?" Ron asked._

"_From our little staring match. He was trying to figure out why I was staring at him earlier. You three always look most peaceful by the lake. I can't help but stare at how nice of a picture it paints," Angel replied._

_The room fell silent as Angel grabbed some butterbeer from the refrigerator and handed each of them a bottle. Angel then traipsed back to her room to gather several potions ingredients. She came back out and unleashed a mighty cackle._

Ron shot out of bed like a bolt of lightning. The dream had been so vivid. He could see her smiling face as she told him instructions for the potions. Turning his head, he found a tube of salve and a potion on top of a note.

_Dear Mr. Weasley,_

_Apparently the thought of all the ice cream I promised proved too much for you to handle. Uncle Albus would like me to remind you that you, Mr. Harry Potter, Ms. Hermione Granger, Ms. Luna Lovegood, Mr. Neville Longbottom, and Ms. Ginny Weasley are implored to come to tea at my small abode this afternoon after classes. Remember to take the pink potion that tasted better than it looked once a day in a small sip in the morning, the Pepper-Up Potion (the swirling green one) only when you need it, and apply the salve after exiting the shower each morning. You may also wish to cushion your chairs to prevent further damage. To do this simple point your wand at the chair and whisper Pennatatai to make the chair feel like a feather bed. Don't bother reversing it, since the spell wears off in two hours. _

_Yours Truly,_

_Angel_

Apparently it all hadn't been a complete dream. Ron sat staring at the note for a half an hour before Harry came over to sit with him.

"Apparently you took a nasty fall down the steps and landed on a bottle someone left in the halls. You were supposedly looking for the Hospital Wing when you stumbled into the East Tower. I don't know what happened from there," Harry said.

"... Yeah... right... I remember now," Ron replied.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned for his friend.

_You're not alright Ron. You can't lie to Harry, admonished the voice of Angel. _

"I... I'm not too bad, but I think I'm going to catch some more shut eye. Wake me in time for breakfast, will you?" Ron asked as he fell back on his bed.

"Yeah, Ron, I will," Harry replied.

"Hey, wait. You, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna are invited to tea in the Eastern Tower!" Ron called.

"Really?"

"Angel asked me to remind you in this note," Ron said as he held up the note.

Harry nodded, saying that he would inform the others. Ron fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for the sound of the door to close. When it came, he leaped out of bed and grabbed his clothes in a hurry. Racing to the showers, he cleaned as quickly as he could before flying out of the common room and into the hall. Taking off toward the rising sun, Ron found that he had to see if it was real.

"You shouldn't run, Ron," came a beautiful voice.

"Angel?" Ron asked.

"You know my name..." she whispered as she walked around him, keeping him in a trance so he wouldn't move.

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM OUR FRIEND YOU BEAST!" shouted Harry.

Ron immediately snapped out of it and stood, arms spread, in front of Angel. Harry looked at him mutely, as if he knew that if he waited long enough, he'd get his answer.

"She healed me. She's a friend, not a beast," Ron said in Angel's defense.

"Harry's right. I am a beast. A beast in a woman's body is all I am," Angel whispered.

"NO! You're not! No beast would've helped me like you did last night! I owe you so much. If you hadn't come along, I'd be dead," Ron replied.

"You ran down here much to fast for having mortal injuries just last night. Only Healing Blood could cause such a swift recovery, and only vampires can do Healing Blood," Harry deduced.

"Moony taught you well," Angel replied.

"You knew Lupin?"

"I knew him, your father, Sirius and the traitor. I could smell it in his blood that he was up to no good. They were two years younger than me at my time here. I knew Lily too. She was the only person that knew my secret. My parents, well, my dad at least, worked for Voldemort. I didn't want to, so I kept my dad's identity a secret and lived inside the walls during summer break. I learned all year round, training with my healing abilities. I came by it naturally from my mother, and she prompted me to train. When she died, I almost murdered my father. It was his fault for her death. Lily kept that a secret too. She was a good woman, and I hope to get a crack at Pettigrew one day," Angel replied.

"Run along," came Severus' cold voice.

Harry and Ron took off toward the stairs, but the hair on Ron's neck pricked up again, and he turned to see Snape advancing on Angel. She kept backing down, her arms held out in a defensive position. Then he felt it. A dull thud against the back of his skull. He turned to see Malfoy, whose wand was pointed at Snape. Angel had known.

"NO!" Angel growled.

She landed a roundhouse kick to Snape's ribs and launched herself at Draco, only to stop short with a smirk on her face. Draco looked confused for a moment, until he felt himself get pulled up by his ear.

"I told you not to try and best your superiors, Draco," came Lucius' icy voice.


	3. 2 The Dark Queen

**Bloody hell! I've left you with... well... with nothing of worth while recognition. I apologize. Between school and work (plus this huge thing called a crush I've got on the boss man) I've been a busy little under paid, under appreciated, overworked intern... not. Under appreciated... more like over appreciated and occasionally over estimated. Overworked? Hah! not even close.**

**I'm rambling, aren't I?**

***smack***

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any associated characters. This is a work of complete fiction and is not endorsed by J.K. Rowling in any way.

**Summary: **After the Department of Mysteries incident, everything should have gone back to semi normality, right? It didn't. All kinds of secrets have been floating about for ages, hurting everyone in their path. Now, it is time for revelations, and retribution. HP/RW, HG/GW, RL/SB Former JP/SS (Briefly), SS/LM. Rated M for safety, character death, and lemons.

Deadly Secrets

Chapter Two: The Dark Queen

"Are you alright, my lady?" Lucius asked in a much warmer voice, a voice that was reserved for two people alone besides Angel.

"I'm fine, Lucius. I need to heal Sev's ribs, though. Gimme a sec," Angel smiled.

With a flash of blue light, Snape was standing again, although he looked like he'd been passed out for a few hours. Angel gave him a weak smile before helping him limp his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Standing in the entrance hall were sixty people in dark black cloaks.

"Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I give you the Knights of the Mirrormar!" Angel said triumphantly.

"Angelic Blaire? You-" Dumbledore stuttered.

"Yes, Uncle Albus, I was it all along. That was why Snape was so desperate to land a job here. He figured out that you had me locked away in the Eastern Tower. As I recall, I did inform you that my murderous rampage was not out of sheer lack of self-control. I was merely demonstrating my power for my enemies. All those that died were Death Eaters," Angel replied.

Dumbledore straightened his robes and put on an authoritized look. Angel smiled at him before whispering something in Lucius' ear.

"My Commander and Chief, Lucius Malfoy, will be in charge. I trust him with the knowledge of what awaits him should he fail," Angel replied before retreating up the staircase.

For the Golden Trio, the rest of the day was fairly smooth. They didn't see the Knights again, and didn't ask what they were. Their answers sat making tea in the Eastern Tower by the last period of the day. When the bell rang, Harry, Ron, and Hermione raced through the throngs to find Neville, Luna, and Ginny standing next to a suit of armor on the seventh floor, exactly where they'd been told to wait. Silently, they headed off for the tower. Harry was the first around the corner, and he nearly fainted at what he saw. Angel was looking down at Draco with a look that would've made Uncle Vernon blubber. Draco bowed his head in acknowledgment with what she'd said and stood.

"I apologize for my actions today, and for all past abuses," Draco recited perfectly. _Except what I've done to you, my pet, _Draco shot silently at Ron. The red head went white.

Draco disappeared around the corner and Angel smiled at them. She pointed up before going up herself. The six followed her up the ladder before the trapdoor swung shut. They all took a seat on the comfortable sofa and chairs.

"I apologize for the cold, but it keeps certain... aspects of my power in check," Angel apologized as she handed them blankets and warm tea.

"Why have you called us up here?" Hermione asked as she sipped her tea.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Granger then. That would make this one Ginny," she said, pointing to the red head sandwiched between Hermione and Ron on the couch, "And this one's Luna. I've brought you up here because the Darkness is beginning to fall. The Lucius Malfoy that entered both Azkaban and the Department of Mysteries last year was Lucius under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Many of my Knights were Death Eaters. In about fifteen minutes we'll be taking care of that problem, permanently. Uncle Albus has agreed to get the Order here before then so that they may witness what is about to happen. I need you six, especially Neville since I sense he has the Touch, to help out in any way you are asked. Lucius, Uncle Albus, Sev (At least I hope its Sev and not Snape, that ugly monster inside him), and myself will be performing the removal. It's very dangerous, as it involves burning an isolated section of flesh in five second bursts for five minutes. After that, you will adjourn up here, where I will be teaching you skills needed for basic alchemy and healing. You will report here every night for an hour after dinner until the end of the school year save weekends."

Hermione stared at her speechlessly. Ron and Harry exchanged a look that said "I don't know where she heard it from and I don't care." Ginny, Luna, and Neville looked like they'd been Stupified. Angel smiled at them before gesturing to the cookies. It was then that Ron heard it. _Down on the ground floor. NOW! Or I'll beat your pretty new girlfriends' face in. _

"I just remembered; I need to go send a letter to my mum real fast. I need to go back to the tower and get it. I shouldn't be more than five or ten minutes," Ron said quickly before dropping down the trapdoor.

"Stay here. Finish your tea and cookies. I'll be right back," Angel told the remaining five.

She dropped down and landed like a cat before heading off down the hall. Following the scent of anxiety that rushed down the hall, Angel found herself downstairs in a heartbeat. Ron didn't know that he could take a better beating from Malfoy and neither did he, and that would make Draco angry, Angel knew that. She dropped down in front of Draco before Ron said a word.

"Take me instead," Angel growled.

"What?" Ron yelled.

"Take... Me... In... Stead..." Angel enunciated.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I go get dear old Daddy and tell him what you've been doing. I won't let you hurt Ron, but I'm far from innocent anymore, I'll take my chances," Angel replied.

Angel growled as Draco snatched her arm, leaving Ron in the dust. Suddenly, there was a sickening snap, and Draco howled from the hallway.

"Listen up, grease ball. You're father has promised me your service in exchange for good faith in his favor. Until the day you die, you serve _**me**_. Understand?" Angel asked.

Draco was mute.

"I'll start with fingers next," Angel reminded him.

"Y-Yes," Draco whimpered.

"If you harm a single hair on any one of his friends or Ron's head, I will kill you given my authority as the Dark Queen," Angel reprimanded.

Draco wasn't listening. He was thinking of a way out of Angel's servitude. He didn't hear that she was the Dark Queen, and therefore didn't know that he was under her anyway. Draco figured she was just another Knight. It wasn't until Angel let go of his awkwardly bent wrist that he remembered she was still there. He looked up in time to catch her lithe form walking back down the hall.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked.

"I'm fine, amazingly," Ron replied.

Angel smiled before running back up the steps to get the others. Ron simply meandered through the halls, looking behind him every few minutes to make sure that Draco wasn't coming. Although he knew that Angel would make good on her promise to Draco, he knew that Draco hadn't been listening. He also knew that Hermione's usual torture would be doubled the next day. If Ron hadn't known better, he would've thought that he'd have been better off getting raped.

In the Hospital Wing, Angel looked down at the poor men that were strapped down. Fifty of the sixty Knights of the Mirrormar were Death Eaters, and twenty-five were housed in the Hospital Wing for the time being. The pain that the twenty five were about to feel was nothing compared to what she'd felt on that very same day fifteen years ago, when Lily and James had been killed on her watch. She felt like she'd let them down, even though James, who was barely alive in the hall, told her otherwise. The pain when she'd removed her own mark had been four times as excruciating as what her knights would be feeling, since she'd done it wrong, and on herself, and without numbing potion. Lily was the only reason she was still alive. Lily Potter, whose husband came very close to hating her, had saved her life. Angel never got to return the favor.

"Are you ready?" she asked the few brave souls in the front, who had volunteered to go first.

They nodded in silence, waiting for their Queen to give them their penance. Angel lowered her wand on Lucius Malfoy's arm, and gave it a five second burst, and then another, and another until the mark on his left arm was gone. Lucius did his best not to scream, but he couldn't keep the look of pure pain off his face. Not only was it the pain of being burnt, but the Mark's curse was lashing out too. Finally, after five minutes of strained silence, Snape stepped forward to heal his arm as best he could. There would always be a scar there, and for the Knights of the Mirrormar, it would serve as a constant reminder of what happened when you went against the true Queen.

As Angel began burning more and more marks off, she began to think about what had put her in this deadly position. When she was seventeen, her brutal vampiric nature tried to control her, as it does to all who are born vampires. However, she was one of the few that controlled it, instead of letting it control her. As a result, she could go all out, and not harm one innocent bystander. Angel realized early on that she had a gift for Dark Arts, and had practiced them for quite some time before even attending Hogwarts. When she got in, her practitioner's habits began to mold to her schedule, and the schedule of the teachers. Only once had she ever almost been caught, and that was by James and Sirius. Padfoot and Prongs had been underneath the Invisibility Cloak at the time, and Angel hadn't seen them approach. But as they drew closer, she felt them, one fighting against the other for first to break the silence. She had gathered her things quickly, and raced back to the edge of the forest. What she heard shocked her.

"I don't believe you, James. Sleeping with that Slytherin was pathetic!"

"I know Sirius... it was a moment of weakness. His hair was clean, and it looked... soft..." James said, in an obviously dreaming voice.

"Pff."

The event about which Sirius and James were talking about flooded Angel's mind as soon as she opened it up.

_James looked on as Snape stepped from the Slytherin showers. He had found the secret passage from the Gryffindor Common Room to the Slytherin Dungeon three nights ago. Tonight, he had planned on scaring the living daylights out of one Severus Snape. What he got instead was a shock to the system, and the most erotic night of his fourteen year old life. He had stepped forward, fully intent on picking up a flower and wrapping it around Snape's neck. Instead, he watched as Snape's eyes filled with tears, and he dropped the towel on accident. He had dropped out of Divination, meaning that this period was free and the Common Room was empty. He walked nude back to his room, showing hundreds of thousands of tiny scars. James followed him, plan forgotten. Entranced by the scars, he could not stop his hand from brushing a particularly long and thin one that from Snape's right shoulder to his left hip. Snape went rigid at the touch, and swung back, catching James in the nose and knocking him back. Snape saw nothing, but could hear James as he healed himself. Dropping the cloak now that he was found out, he stared at Snape as Snape returned his gaze, save the fact that it was filled with hate._

"_You've seen what my father does, now get the fuck out," Snape roared. _

"_No," James whispered, too entranced by the sickly thin frame in front of him to care what he said._

"_No? NO!" Snape roared as he started toward him._

"_No... NO... NO!" James screamed, and he fell to the floor with a crash. _

_Snape's expression softened at the sight of James broken without the use of a single curse. He looked down at him before seeing something shocking. Without bothering to be gentle, Severus yanked up James' shirt, revealing a line of cuts down both sides that were too long and thin to have been done by his hand. As entranced by James' body as James was with his own, Severus turned the other boy over onto his stomach and traced the scars on his back with careful hands. James stopped crying and looked up at him, shocked at the tenderness. He returned it by tracing the long scars on Severus' wrists that raced around to his shoulder. They drew closer to each other to trace more scars, each finding out that they were not alone with every touch. Finally, they were close enough to be touching on many different points, and then it happened. The kiss was like lightning, swift hot, and filled with promises off more to come. Soon they were rolling on the floor battling for position almost as hard as they battled for their lives every time they went to visit certain relatives. Finally, Severus won out, coming out on top. Being already naked, there was nothing for James to pull at. Finally, he was naked as well._

Angel cut the scene off, knowing that whatever happened was a private memory, not one for her to peep at. Angel was suddenly hit with another memory as one James Potter roared in her direction and charged her.

_Snape and James were yelling at each other on the very spot that she now stood. Snape was telling James to leave him alone in the corridor's; it wasn't safe for a Gryffindor and a Slytherin to have such an open relationship, not when the Gryffindor's friends hated the Slytherin. James wanted to publicize it, making the unity between the houses permanent. Finally, James Potter walked away, ending the relationship of love and beginning one of hate that would extend down his family tree until his son. _

That was the reason for Snape's recent betrousering.

Angel felt James make impact with her, and she felt the vials of her own blood break against her flesh inside her robes. She screamed in pain and kicked James as hard as she could, both of them sustaining massive injuries on the way down because of the glass. Sirius raced in, trying to break them apart, but James had felt Angel enter his mind, however unwilling it had been. Angel herself was thrown back into the instincts she had gained as a child, turning feral and resorting to claws and teeth. James withdrew as much as possible when Angel bit him hard, but he believed for a split second that he had not gotten away. Angel made as if to charge again until a strong hand appeared on her shoulder.

"Consider us even, James," Snape said.

"No, I saved your life. You saved me from a runaway bitch with a bad attitude."

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU BOTH! YOU HAD SOMETHING! I FELT IT! AND YOU THREW IT ALL AWAY ON HOUSE UNITY! YOU GUYS ARE BOTH FUCKING IDIOTS! I HATE YOU BOTH!" Angel screamed in pain before dragging herself away toward the Gryffindor Common Room.

Snape went after her, leaving Sirius and James alone in the woods.

After healing herself, Angel was back in class the next day. Unfortunately, she had to deal with James several times, being part of a program helping fifth years begin preparations for their seventh year N.E.W.T.s. Be it that she had James in her study group, she had to call on him every time he raised his hand to answer. He raised it quite a bit that night. After the study group adjourned, James tried to approach Angel, but she snapped at him before joining Lily Evans in a corner. She chose that time to help Lily out on an essay, like she'd promised. The next day, they sat together at lunch. They did so for every day until Angel graduated. Even after, Lily received a weekly owl from Angel, telling her everything she needed to be prepared for in sixth year, and how she was doing. When Lily graduated, they lived in the same apartment building. Much to James' fear and disgust, Angel was the matron of honor at their wedding. It was there that Lily caught sight of the Mark. She confronted Angel, who told the truth; she was drugged and woke up with it on. Lily could tell she wasn't lying. When asked what she was going to do about it, she replied simply.

"Burn," she said.

Three days later, Lily Evans decided to "drop in" on her friend. Angel was lying on the living room floor, her arm still smoldering from where the Mark had been burned off. Lily, being an excellent healer, had taken the liberty of mending the arm. She was amazed to find that Angel had full use of it. There was a scar, however, from where the mark had been, and in the shape of the Mark. Angel had joined the Order the next day.

Knowing she was helping the Light did not stop the Dark community from proclaiming her Queen on the 31st of October, the year Harry was born. She went from the ceremony to Lily's house directly, but never told her what had happened. She was taken with the young wizard immediately, finding the fact that he was almost an exact replica of James hysterical. That night was when James saw the completeness of the burn scar. Taking her aside and asking her about it, he got a vague response.

"It still itches when he calls them. That's how I know when the meetings are. I never wanted to follow him. I just... wanted to make my Daddy proud," Angel said softly from behind the bathroom door. When she walked out in her night shirt, James noticed the scars on her legs, obvious signs of abuse, and finally realized why Angel had attacked him back, when all he'd meant to do was stop her from looking at his mind. They were closer that day.

Severus managed to maintain the fact that his debt was square until October 30th when the call came about a traitor. Angel had thrashed in bed the night after, unable to sleep even in Lily's mind, which was where she frequently slept. Her Sight, unlike Trelawney's, was untamable, and she often got visions in her sleep. That night, Lily was having a particularly bad dream about James and Harry dying, and Voldemort giving her to Lucius Malfoy, who handed her over to Snape.

Angel was furious at her inability to act, and took off, not wanting to hurt James, Lily or Harry. When she returned, Voldemort was inside the house. Angel froze, and her mind took her to Lily's, where she witnessed the final moments inside the house.

_Looking down, Lily could see James preparing to face off with Voldemort to buy them some time. He roared up at her to run, and she did so. Grabbing two brooms from the broom closet and letting them stand against the wall inside the nursery, Lily rushed back over to the stair well in time to see James' body fall in two wet, loud thuds. The wounds to his torso were fiery red and cauterizing fast, despite the fact that he was dying. Instead of wasting James' sacrifice, Lily ran inside the nursery and slammed the door. Seconds later, as Lily was preparing to fly out the large window with Harry in her arms, Voldemort crashed in. Lily tried to plead with him, get him to show mercy, but the False Lord had found his prize. When the curse hit Lily, all went black. _

Angel's mind was back in her own body again, but she wasn't able to move quite yet. Only as the curse rebounded and hit Voldemort did she realize that he had charmed the house so no one could move on the grounds. Angel flew into the house and stopped short at James' half living body. Waving her over, James began to wheeze.

" Angel... I don't blame you... there's nothing you could have done... Take Harry and go... please... I'm sorry for what I did in the forest... I understand now... I'll... I'll see her soon enough," James whispered.

His chest heaved and fell, never taking another breath. Angel pounded on his chest, trying to force the life back in it, but to no avail. Angel did not think about Harry, knowing that Dumbledore would've known that the Fidelus Charm had been compromised and would send Hagrid to the ruins. All she thought about was revenge; revenge for her best friend, a woman she thought of as a sister, and for the man who she had seen such potential in. She burst forth from the house, her chest heaving. She walked down the street, killing seemingly innocent bystanders who later turned out to be Death Eaters. Seventy in all fell to her in her four hour rampage across the London Countryside. It only stopped when Snape and Dumbledore pulled her out of it. Had they let her go, she likely would've killed all those in Azkaban, looking for Voldemort. Angel could feel that he was still alive, somewhere, somehow. But she had no control over what happened after that, since Dumbledore locked her away in the East Tower for fifteen years.

Angel wiped the blood and sweat from her forehead as Snape raced to heal the last person. She went to Harry and asked him for a word. She took her wand, and pulled Lily's last thoughts from her head, knowing that Harry needed those more that she did.

"This was your mother's. We shared minds because it was safer if I could know what was happening in the house at all times without having to be there all the time. I was their guard the night they died. Voldemort charmed the house so that no one who set foot on the grounds could move again until he was gone. When the curse rebounded... the barrier came down. I'm not going to tell you anymore than that. It's my burden. But... since this one portrays to you..." Angel said, handing the thought to Harry.

Harry smiled weakly, and let it drift into his head. Angel clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping his scream. Harry heard his mother's voice, along with Angel's, whisper in his ear. "I love you Harry. I'm sorry I couldn't see you through...to... the...end."

"Her thought just before that was for James, but I don't think you needed to hear that one," Angel blushed. It was the first time Harry'd ever seen her blush, even under his scrutiny of her mind, which she'd allowed him into some parts of.

"Damn this heat. It's making my heart try to pump," Angel growled.

"Wha-?"

"Sorry... I forgot that that one's little known outside the community. Vampire's hearts are most vulnerable on the new moon when they attempt periodically to beat again, right?"

"Right"

"Well, the heart of a vampire tries to beat again during the rest of their time as well, but not as strongly as on the new moon, which is what brings it to the surface on those nights. The heat is what causes it for me, but when I see something touching, even in my tower, it jumps," Angel explained.

Harry nodded, understanding exactly what she was talking about.

"Sometimes I wish my heart would stop beating," Harry replied.

"Never wish that!" Angel roared. "NEVER WASTE THE SACRIFICE YOUR PARENTS GAVE OR I WILL BRING YOU BACK AND KILL YOU MYSELF!"

"Angel! James would've shot you," came a voice from behind.

"SIRIUS!" Angel screamed before whirling and running to him. "AND REMUS TOO!"

Angel wrapped her arms tightly around Remus, enveloping him in the hug.

"It's good to see you, Angel," Remus replied.

" Very good to see you, but I have to speak to my godson about his living arrangements for next summer," Sirius added.

Harry beamed.


	4. 3 Dark Magic Ministry

Chapter Three: Dark Magic Ministry

Angel moved silently through the Hospital Wing, helping the last limping victim out the door. Her mind was with Lily's last thought inside Harry's head. It had been her sole comfort for many years in her life, stemming from the night she was locked in the tower until she gave it to Harry. She felt... cold. Cold and empty. Her mind was telling her that she'd never be able to center herself. Her body said "Nonsense." Her mind won out.

Ron sat awake in silence, unable to sleep. He could hear the scratching from the other side of the trapdoor and knew that Draco was on the other side of it, waiting for Harry to start snoring. When the final light noise came, the door swung open, revealing that Draco was indeed on the other side. Ron slipped out of bed and darted across to Harry's. Clamping a hand over his friend's mouth, he woke Harry from a peaceful slumber.

"I need a witness. Pretend to be asleep," Ron whispered, not knowing exactly what he was going to do.

Harry nodded and Ron stepped out from behind the curtain.

"What do you want? Angel'll have your head for being in here," Ron growled.

"We never finished what we started, my bitch," Draco hissed.

"We're never going to finish it. I'm tired of being raped by you. Get out or I'll go get Angel."

"Turning to a girl for help?"

"No, I'm turning to your Queen," Ron growled.

Draco went pale as snow in the darkness. He hadn't known that he was defying the Queen, but it felt too damn good to pass up. Taking advantage of the lull, Draco grabbed Ron's wrist and pulled him close.

"I know your secret," he whispered.

"No..."

"Oh, yes. I've seen it. Your dirty little love of that stupid boy. How would Harry feel if he knew you loved him?" Draco replied.

"HARRY DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Ron screamed, waking all the others.

Before anyone could react, Draco was up the ladder and in the hole. Harry ran to Ron, embracing him and setting him down. The red head was shaking; Harry knew. Behind his solid greens, he knew that Ron loved him. _He must be so disgusted,_ Ron thought. Without pausing to think about what he was doing, Ron ran from the dormitory. Harry stared after him, confused. Then he understood. Draco hadn't been lying, and Ron thought that he hated him.

Ron ran from the portrait hole, causing Hermione, who'd heard him scream to Harry, to shriek and try to follow. Ron didn't know what stopped her, but he kept on running until he reached the entrance to the Eastern Tower. He jumped up and grabbed the handle, pulling down the door and the ladder. He scrambled up with tears in his eyes, not understanding why he'd come, but just wanting someone to help him. Angel stood in shock with Lucius standing before her. Her first thought was rape, but then she picked up on the fear and sorrow. It wasn't rape, it was something else; something that she'd felt before but couldn't quite pinpoint. Being a severely emotional vampire, she rushed to Ron's side.

"Oh Ron... What happened?" Angel pleaded.

Ron just shook his head, tears chasing each other down his now severely pale cheeks. Lucius instantly turned cold again with the presence of the Weasley boy, and Angel shooed him away, picking Ron up in her arms and carrying him to the couch. She rocked him back and forth until he calmed enough. He was still shaking, but no longer sobbing.

"Ron... what's going on?"

"...Malfoy... came up to the Dormitories... he... he was trying to get at me even after I reminded him who you were... He pulled me close to him... and told me that he knew my secret... he told me that he knew I loved Harry... and I'd woken Harry up in case he managed to get me anyway... Harry heard... he has to hate me now, doesn't he?"

"Oh, Ron... no, he doesn't... I don't know if you ever heard but... Severus... and Harry's father... they... they had a fling once," Angel said, lying through her teeth about the fling. "I'm sure Harry doesn't hate you, especially if he has any of Lily in him. Lily was only capable of hating one person... and even then she didn't."

Ron smiled weakly, but when Angel tried to shoo him out the door, he clung to her. Resigning herself to defeat, Angel whisked some blankets out of the air and let Ron sleep on the couch. She left the room to speak to Lucius, leaving Ron to his own devices.

Ron plucked a razor out of his pocket. It was a dangerous device if used wrong, but he knew how to use it. He knew very well how to use it.

"Lucius, your boy is out of control," Angel said as she entered the room.

"What do you mean, My Lady?"

"He has raped Ron Weasley repeatedly," Angel growled.

"So Weasley says."

"So I've seen," Angel hissed.

"My Lady, that is quite impossible," Lucius replied.

"No, it isn't. I've seen him trying to drag Ron to the dungeons, and I've heard his thoughts. He keeps reliving it until it gets old, then he does it again."

Lucius' hands clenched, finally letting him see reason. Angel folded her arms and sighed.

"I heard you mention something about Severus and James Potter. What were you referring to?"

"I was speaking about their long time relationship in their fourth year, your seventh and my sixth," Angel said softly.

"They didn't have one. I would've known about it."

"Most of it was conducted in the woods, under cover of darkness. I saw the first time and their last fight. It stopped the first month we came back after you graduated because James wanted to use it to unify the houses whereas Snape wanted to keep it in the closet," Angel replied.

Lucius fell silent. It hadn't been the answer he'd wanted to hear; Angel could tell. Silently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. Memories flooded his brain; they were obviously from Severus' mind, since they detailed long strolls with Lucius and his thoughts. It was all Lucius needed to see to understand that Severus really did love him. Nodding with a smile, Lucius left the tower, and Angel bit down hard on her lip.

Back in the Gryffindor Tower, Harry filled Hermione in on the happenings of the night leading up to Ron's rush from the tower. Hermione's lower lip quivered as Harry guessed, quite correctly, that Ron had been doing this behind their backs to protect them. It positively trembled when Harry told about Ron's feelings.

"Oh... Harry, I've wanted to tell you, but Ron made me swear. You kept your secret with Cedric pretty well, I'd say," Hermione laughed half heartedly.

_ Harry lowered himself, and in turn his egg, into the hot water of the Prefect's bath. The mermaid in the window danced around, trying to entice him, but failing miserably. Harry had known for quite some time now that he was not very interested in girls. Cho was pretty, and therefore open for him to ask out to the Yule Ball to keep suspicion away. Where his affections truly sat, was with one Cedric Diggory. Right on cue, the door behind him opened, revealing a lean, muscular Cedric outlined in the dim torchlight. Harry suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Cedric obviously didn't know that he had been down there, and he most likely did not know of Harry's chosen persuasion. His only prayer was that there was a snake in the water, instead of his own rigid member. Cedric nearly jumped out of his skin upon seeing Harry there, egg in hand and arms clenched around his body. _

"_Put it in the water and open it," Cedric told him. _

_ Harry, trying to prevent himself from being noticeable, dove under the water and did as instructed._

_ Harry flinched at the last words of the poem; "It won't come back." Cedric gave a weak smile from across the bath tub before swimming closer._

"_What do you plan to do about your little problem?" Cedric asked._

"_I dunno... I don't think I can hold my breath for an hour..."_

"_I was talking about a bigger problem than that one," Cedric replied, looking down._

"_Oh... that... it's..."_

"_Monstrous," Cedric smiled, diving beneath the water. _

_ The minute Harry felt the warmth around his engorged penis, he ceased thinking about a single thing other than how skilled Cedric's mouth was. He came up for air, and then dove back down again, moving faster than before. Finally, when Harry felt like he was going to burst, Cedric resurfaced, and sat back, waiting for the feeling to dissolve. Then, Harry felt Cedric's erection pulsing against his own. Their lust-filled eyes locked, and Cedric pinned down Harry with his lips. Harry moaned into the kiss. He ground himself upward against the friction, trying to keep the heat in his loins. Their movements sped up until-_

Harry immediately cut himself off at the pass, keeping himself from becoming hard. Hermione touched his shoulder gently before returning to her dormitory. He sat there, arms wrapped around his body, hugging himself tight, and waited for the sun to rise and bring his ginger headed mate back to him.

Ron awoke with a start the next morning to find himself once again in his own bed with a note on his bed stand. Heart pounding in his chest, he reached over and plucked it from the nightstand.

_Dear Ron,_

_ Don't go into the Common Room until I get there. I will help you out with explaining the situation and try to patch things up as best as I can. I will send Neville up after you._

_ Angel_

Just as he finished reading, Neville rushed up the stairs and pointed down. Ron got out of bed hesitantly and walked to the spiral staircase. He took the steps extraordinarily slowly, trying his hardest to avoid doing what he was about to do at all costs. He heard angelic laughter and knew that Angel was down there, waiting for him. He desperately wanted to go back in bed and grab his knife, but resisted the urge. Harry's green eyes stared up at him from the Common Room, as if they knew he was on his way. Angel fell silent midway through a joke with Ginny and smiled a little. Ron didn't come down any faster. Just as he reached the ground floor, Hermione nearly tackled him in a hug, professing her worries through her actions. Angel smiled a little wider and beckoned the pair over. Casting her charm on the room, no one could hear them as she began to speak.

"As you've undoubtedly heard, Ron had... a little secret that was divulged by a certain Mr. Draconis Malfoy. Draco, as we speak, is probably having the snot beaten out of him by his father. However, there is the certain matter of friendship, or rather fellowship, that must be maintained."

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak with Ron on my own, thanks," Harry told Angel.

Angel was taken aback, but lowered her charm none the less. Harry grabbed Ron around the wrist and pulled him back up to their dorm, locking the door behind him.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Ron said as he took a defensive position.

"Ron-"

"Cause Malfoy was just-"

"Ron!"

"He was only-"

"RON!"

"You have every right-"

This time, Harry silenced his best friend, the man for whom his affections had longed for, with a passionate kiss. Ron stared at him, aghast and lost for words at the action.

"Ron... I don't know how long this has been going on, and frankly, I don't care. It's going to stop, because you... are... mine," Harry whispered seductively in Ron's ear.

Ron shivered at the action and Harry kissed him again. This time, Ron was quite a bit more responsive, tangling his fingers in Harry's black mass of untamable hair to deepen the kiss. Ron fell back onto Harry's bed, and Harry fell on top of him, reaching up to pull the curtains shut. He pulled the night shirt off his companion's torso, revealing a pale chest that was coated in freckles. Harry left Ron's mouth to trail kisses down to his nipple. First, he teased one with his tongue, forcing it taught with his mouth, and then he trailed kissed to the other, repeating the process. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a terrified scream and a feral growl. Ron and Harry burst from the dorm, Ron still shirtless, but the lust gone from their eyes. It had been Hermione who had screamed and Angel who had growled as Theodore Nott wrapped his arm around Ginny's throat. Angel Blaire was a much different girl than the sweet one they all knew and loved. Her eyes had darkened from crimson to a deep brick red, almost black, color and she circled Nott like prey. Her eyes never once left his throat, and she looked... hungry, like a woman who had been meandering through the desert for a month without food. Her body tried to scream out about the girl in his arms and the people gathered in the common room, but all she could sense was the Dark Mark, pulsing like some evil entity embedded in his flesh, and she longed to taste its degradation. Nott, however, was unconcerned with the woman that should've been his Queen. Instead, he looked to Hermione for the slightest hint of raising a wand. This gave Angel her opening. She lunged, catching Nott in the ribs and forcing him into the portrait hole. Everyone rushed to Ginny, and did not see Angel rip Nott's throat out with her teeth and drain him in the matter of sixteen seconds.

"You have red on you," Hermione said softly, looking at Angel's lips and chin, which were stained with Nott's blood. She plucked a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it clean before anyone else could see.

"Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. Just then, there was a shriek in the portrait hole and a cry of "I told you she was dangerous" as McGonagall discovered Nott's body, drained of all blood.

"Nott was a Death Eater spy, as was his father. His death is no concern of ours since he never would've been any better. He followed that false lord as faithfully as we Knights serve the Queen," Snape replied.

"Still, did she have to drain him?"

"Didn't have much of a choice if you think about it, Professor. He would've kept coming, no matter what I did," Angel replied.

McGonagall and the rest of Gryffindor fell silent. Then, all the kids began clapping, remembering that Lupin had been a werewolf, and he was the best Defense teacher they'd ever had. Angel bowed like Angel, and then raised her hands for silence.

"I have a list of all the Slytherins that have checked out. If anyone other than those on the list approach you, do whatever you can to prevent them from being able to get at your throat. Do NOT attempt to attack anyone who isn't on the list in the halls because the ones that have checked out are the only ones we've checked. We don't know for sure," Angel called.

Everyone nodded, and Snape placed a hand on each shoulder and steered Angel out. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny followed. Luna joined them in the hallway, and they walked down to the Great Hall together. There stood sixty Knights, awaiting the command of their Queen. Lucius stepped forward and gave a roll of parchment to Angel. She looked it over and smiled a little. Rolling it up, she shoved it in her pocket and looked at her Knights. Then, she moved over to Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore nodded and walked up the stairs. Silently, Angel took her place at the front of the crowd and led them outside. Hagrid was standing near an entryway to the Forbidden Forest, and he flicked his umbrella, lighting a long winding path of lanterns. Angel smiled at him before ducking inside the forest. She led the Knights to the end of the path, where there was a small, level clearing. Angel dropped a single seed in the center and stretched her hand over it. What grew was no ordinary tree. It was as big as a house, with branches thick enough for several people to stand in, and it stretched far above the forest canopy. Inside the trunk was an elevator. The tree itself took up the entire clearing and blended in perfectly with the rest of the forest. Only someone who knew what they were looking for could've found it, and even then the chances were slim. Angel beckoned her Knights to fill it, and suddenly, a set of red lanterns spelled out the words "Open For Business, the Knights of the Mirrormar, Dark Magic Ministry. Queen and Head of Offices, Angelic Blaire." Lucius smiled as he stepped into the tree. The only people left in the clearing were Sirius and Remus, who had just arrived, Dumbledore, the Six, and Angel.

"Come on! You have offices too, since you're our liaisons," Angel beamed.


	5. Notice

NOTICE:

Okay, so I broke my flash-drive with all my files on it and dummy me never got around to backing the damn thing up. So, until I can afford to take it in and get it fixed or whatever, I'm going to _**attempt**_ to write from memory. I can't promise that I'll get all of the stories that I had up exactly the way that they are on the flash drive, which means that I may have to sit down and re-write them. I also can't promise that the flash drive will be fixed and data will be recoverable. In the event of this latter instance, I will finish from memory. And, who knows? Maybe this is a good thing. The thing was getting a little cluttered anyway…

Who the hell am I kidding?

Sorry for the inconvenience,

Midnight Rhymer & Management


End file.
